


Holy Palmers' Kiss

by amusewithaview



Series: fanfiction is a valid love language [2]
Category: DCU, Teen Titans (Animated Series), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, Romantic Soulmates, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-09
Updated: 2016-03-09
Packaged: 2018-05-25 16:14:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6202222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amusewithaview/pseuds/amusewithaview
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Darcy supposed that, all things considered, she should probably feel pretty darn lucky that the first person who found her when she landed in this universe was what appeared to be its equivalent to Captain America.</p><p> </p><p>Granted, Superman was an alien, even-more-ridiculously-super-powered, Captain America, but there was a certain quality possessed by both men that made them seem instantly trustworthy to her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Holy Palmers' Kiss

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TheWritingCorner](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWritingCorner/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Soulmate Shorts AKA The Crackship Armada](https://archiveofourown.org/works/2658407) by [ozhawk](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ozhawk/pseuds/ozhawk). 



> Cloerner requested, "Hi! I was wondering, would you be able to write a Bruce Wayne/Darcy Lewis soulmate AU/daemon AU fanfic for my third place prize? I love how you write Darcy and I was wondering if Bruce Wayne would be okay for you to write, if not, it is completely fine! I do have a bunch of ships with Darcy, after all!"
> 
> PRIMARY NOTE: this story uses ozhawk's version of the soulmate trope, wherein compatible soulmates feel a very strong sexual pull and psychically bond with each other when their soulmarks touch during an intimate (usually sexual) moment. If you haven't read her stuff yet, GO NOW! You will resurface in a week or four, drained, elated, and smiling, and it'll be totally worth it.
> 
> SECONDARY NOTE:  
> In writing this, I discovered three things:  
> 1\. I remember a lot more about the animated Teen Titans than I thought I did.  
> 2\. I CANNOT WRITE BATMAN TO SAVE MY LIFE.  
> 3\. Dick Grayson is a fanon hug whore (there may be more Nightwing in my future).

Darcy supposed that, all things considered, she should probably feel pretty darn lucky that the first person who found her when she landed in this universe was what appeared to be its equivalent to Captain America. Granted, Superman was an alien, even-more-ridiculously-super-powered, Captain America, but there was a certain quality possessed by both men that made them seem instantly trustworthy to her. Superman had oh-so-kindly offered to escort her to a place called the Titan’s Bower, or something like that, while he convened with his equivalent of the Avengers on what to do with their newest interdimensional visitor.

The flying thing was both cool and also kind of terrifying. At least with Thor there was a clear mechanism of travel: magic hammer made way more sense to Darcy than weird alien ability. Was it gravity manipulation? Telekinesis? Superman didn’t offer an explanation and Darcy didn’t feel particularly comfortable pressing him. Still, she was extremely happy to land on the odd t-shaped building he took her to, though not quite to an oh-thank-god-LAND! degree.

Superman led her into the building, and she found herself in what looked like a pleasant rec room area. There was a young man waiting for them. “Good morning, Robin,” Superman greeted him, smiling. “This is Ms. Lewis, she came through the portal we detected in Newbury Park.”

Darcy waved at the boy in the domino mask, about to greet him when she noticed that there was something black on her hand. She frowned when, instead of finding a grease or ink stain, she discovered _writing_ on her palm. “What the fuck?” she muttered to herself.

“Excuse me?”

 _Super-hearing, too? Figures._ “Sorry, Superman, but it looks like somebody wrote on my hand and it definitely wasn’t me.” Darcy held out her hand towards him, showing off the neatly printed _Yes, you can follow me._ that was written there.

“It’s your soulmark,” the alien said. “Do you… not have them in your universe?”

“Definitely not. What’s a soulmark?”

“It’s a depiction of the first words your soulmate will say to you,” Robin explained. “With very few exceptions, the words appear in your soulmate’s handwriting. You come from a universe _without soulmates?_ ”

Darcy shrugged, staring at her hand in confusion and wonder. “We have the concept, but there’s no clear-cut way of finding them. This is… huh. If it showed up after I came through the portal, do you think my soulmate is _here?_ ”

Superman frowned, “I don’t know. That would make sense, since I would assume that if your soulmate was from your home dimension, you would not have gained words when you landed here. This does mean that, if your soulmate is here, you _will_ meet them before you can be returned to your home.” He seemed troubled by that thought.

“That’s assuming I even _can_ go home,” she realized, hands clenching as the events of the morning caught up with her. “There’s no way I could recreate the disaster that led to that stupid portal beaming me here. For one thing, I don’t know the science, for another… I don’t even know if you have the same tech. Or magic. It was a really awful tech-magic combination.”

“I will see what the other League members have to say. In the meantime, Robin – please take care of Ms. Lewis.” With a final nod, Superman left the building, flying straight up into the sky and out of sight within moments.

Darcy turned back to Robin, who was watching her carefully. “Um. Well, first thing’s first: please call me ‘Darcy.’ Hearing ‘Ms. Lewis’ makes me think I’m in trouble. Second thing… I assume ‘Robin’ is your call sign? Code name? Secret identity?”

“Code name. My birth name is my ‘secret identity,’” he offered.

“Right. That’s complicated. None of the heroes I know have secret identities anymore.”

“You know heroes in your dimension?”

Darcy, suddenly realizing that she had a brand new audience for ‘stupid shit the Avengers have done’ stories, smiled wickedly. “Oh, yes. Heroes and misfits and mad scientists galore…”

…

Three hours later and she was regaling an entire team of teenage superheroes with the best of ‘Iron Man’s Sleep Debt Engineering Failures’ with a side of ‘Strangest Shit Hawkeye Has Brought Home From a Mission.’ She had yet to dip into ‘Worst Multicultural Mishaps Featuring Thor and/or Captain America,’ but she thought she’d save it until after ‘Ways Black Widow Has Ended a Fight Before It Started.’

Starfire shook her head in reaction to Darcy’s latest anecdote: “I do not believe I have ever seen a dog of that size.”

Darcy snorted, “Nobody had. That thing was definitely at least part wolf, and also a mutant.”

“Ooh, ooh, did it look like this?!” Beast Boy asked, hopping down from his stool and morphing into a massive bear-like dog very similar to the creature she’d just finished describing.

She took his sudden species-swap in stride, squinting at his new form. “Curlier fur, bigger teeth, and longer legs. Yeah,” she said when he made the appropriate changes, “just imagine that, but dark gray mottled with rusty orange and dark blue. Now picture it _flying_ and you’re just about there. Hawkeye was absolutely _heartbroken_ when Iron Man told him he couldn’t keep her in the Avengers' Tower. I think Thor ended up giving her to his buddy Volstagg, guy has a whole passel of kids.”

Cyborg chuckled, “Your Avengers sound like our Justice League.”

Darcy shrugged, “I think they’re probably the closest thing my world has to an equivalent, yeah. There’re no straight analogues though, I mean the soulmate thing alone has probably had a massive impact on cultural development. As soon as I get the clear from your League that you’re sure I’m not actually a supervillain – " she rolled her eyes at the sheepish looks on the faces of Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Starfire (Raven and Robin appeared utterly unrepentant), “ - I’d love to do some research and see where the biggest timeline divergences are.”

“I cannot imagine a world without soulmates,” Starfire said mournfully.

“I don’t know,” Raven said, tracing a circle in the condensation her water glass had left on the table. “It might be nice to live in a world without fate.”

An awkward silence descended on the table and Darcy got the distinct impression that she was missing something.

“Did you check and see if you have _more_ marks?” Beast Boy asked.

“BB!” Cyborg exclaimed. “Don’t be rude!”

“Is it rude to ask about soulmarks?” Darcy asked.

“It’s not something you’d ask an acquaintance,” Robin explained.

“I don’t mind. I did check though, there’s just the one,” she said, holding out her hand so that everyone could see it.

“Nice handwriting,” Cyborg offered.

“I thought it was black, but now that I see it more clearly it is a very dark gray. That is unusual,” Starfire said, floating up out of her stool to get a better look. That made two aliens with inexplicable flight powers.

“Looks like you’ll talk first,” Beast Boy offered.

“It’s not a lot to go on,” Raven said.

Robin shoved away from the table abruptly. “I’ll… be right back.”

Cyborg frowned, “What’s with –" 

There was sudden klaxon sound that made all five of those remaining in the kitchen jolt. A section of the wall opposite the fridge lit up, revealing itself to be a communication screen of some sort. Darcy watched as a woman and two men – one of whom appeared to be using something that looked like a wristwatch to have a muffled conversation, the other she recognized as Superman - appeared.

“Titans,” the woman said in greeting. “How are you this evening?”

“Just fine, Wonder Woman,” Cyborg said.

“Yeah, Darcy’s nice and not evil at all!” Beast Boy exclaimed.

Darcy snorted, then ducked her head when all eyes went to her. “Sorry, he just reminds me of Hawkeye a little.”

Having spent the afternoon hearing stories about the archer, three of the Titans nodded while Beast Boy tried to decide whether or not he should be insulted.

“Greetings, Ms. Lewis, I am Wonder Woman. On behalf of the Justice League, I apologize for not addressing your problem more swiftly. Superman has explained the circumstances of your arrival, and we have done preliminary readings on the residual energies surrounding the area where you appeared, as well as the scarf you offered up. The results have been inconclusive. According to Superman, you have indicated that your friends will be looking for you as well?”

“As best they can, in between bouts of world-saving, yeah.” Darcy frowned, “I don’t… I don’t know how easy it will be to replicate what happened though. Iron Man was working on one of his more powerful bits of tech and my boss was messing with Asgardian magi-tech but it didn't go to pot until the Enchantress attacked with Loki. I hope they don’t end up cancelling the wedding…” she said, thinking of the half-Midgardian, half-Asgardian ceremony she’d helped Jane plan. She hastily shoved such thoughts away as that would led to homesickness and concern over things that were, frankly, out of her hands at this point.

She had to believe that there was a way home for her. This soulmate thing was neat, but not enough to make her want to stay.

“I’ll assume none of the Titans ended up being your soulmate?” Superman asked, echoing her thoughts.

“Nope, but there’s no guarantee – "

“It is likely that your soulmate is a native of our world,” Wonder Woman interrupted. “Circumstances being what they are, if you intend to return home I would recommend that you not bond with your soulmate, once you find them.”

“…bond?”

“The joining of two souls, typically precipitated by an act of an intimate, usually sexual, nature while the marks are joined. In your case, you would likely rest your hand somewhere on your soulmate’s body during the act of lovemaking,” Starfire explained cheerfully. “Most soulmates feel a very strong draw upon meeting. It is not uncommon for soulmates to bond within hours of their first interaction. My own people would go into seclusion with all found mates for at least a week upon discovery!”

Darcy’s jaw dropped as she assimilated this information. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Cyborg facepalming, Beast Boy blushing furiously, and Raven rolling her eyes at the redhead’s blunt explanation.

“Right,” she said, voice gone a bit pitchy. “I will… avoid sex with strange soulmates. Thanks for the tip.”

“in the meantime,” Wonder Woman continued, looking quite amused, “we would appreciate it if you would volunteer to be screened by one of our League members. Martian has telepathic abilities – “

“Psychic test of character, got it.”

“Essentially.”

“Assuming he’s discreet, that’s fine. I don’t think I necessarily know anything particularly secret or earth-shattering, but I don’t know what I know in relation to what’s generally known in this universe, you know?”

“Somehow, yes,” Wonder Woman said dryly. “Martian will beam down shortly. Assuming he approves, we will likely set up temporary housing for you with one of the League members, or – “

The man who had previously been on the ‘phone’ had gotten Wonder Woman’s attention and drew her away from the screen for a brief aside. He wore a black cape that looked very Dread Pirate Roberts, and his helmet-mask had sharply pointed ears. The whole get-up was incredibly severe looking. She noticed that Wonder Woman looked surprised by what he was telling her, though she eventually nodded her agreement to him. A moment later she was back in front of the screen as if nothing had happened.

“As I was saying, you will stay with one of the League members, the Titans, or a League-approved civilian ally.”

Darcy nodded her agreement as Robin slipped quietly back into the room, seating himself between Raven and Starfire without a word.

And that was how, thirty minutes and one friendly encounter with a green-skinned alien later, Darcy found herself blinking up at a huge mansion as the lights of the League's teleportation beam dissipated.

“This day just keeps getting weirder and weirder,” she muttered to herself, carefully picking her way up the long driveway to the door. There didn’t appear to be a bell, but there was an intercom button. She cleared her throat, pressed it, and said, “Uh. Hi, this is Darcy Lewis? I believe you were expecting me?”

There was a brief pause, and then the door was opened, revealing a tall man with white hair and mustache. He smiled genially. “Hello, Ms. Lewis, yes you are expected. Please, come in.”

“Thank you.”

“I am Alfred, Mr. Wayne’s butler. We were not given much notice of your arrival, but I have readied a room for you. If you would like, I can arrange for clothing to be brought for your use tomorrow. I was under the impression that you were, ah, travelling light?”

“A change of clothes would be great, yes. I, um, basically have the clothes on my back,” she said, smiling wryly.

Darcy was fighting the urge to gawk. Tony had been her benchmark for opulence up until now, but she tended to forget that Pepper, and his own personal preference for a more minimalist design, tempered Tony’s decorating habits. Everything about the room she was in – the foyer – screamed old money, from the marble floor to the crystal chandelier, to the masterpieces casually decorating the walls. She was starting to wish that the League had decided to place her with the Titans, she might have had less culture shock that way, though she supposed that at least here she wouldn’t worry so much about the _cost_ of her (hopefully very temporary) upkeep.

“If you would follow me, Miss, I can take you to your room – “

“I can handle that, Alfred,” said another man, entering from a doorway off to the left. Darcy tried not to gape as a very tall, very _attractive_ man made his way towards them. He had hair so dark a brown that it was nearly black, and intense dark eyes. He was tall, nearly a foot taller than Darcy, and his clothing was well-tailored, showcasing his broad shoulders and muscular physique.

 _You’ve lived in the same building as Steve Rogers, Captain Asstastic, for over a year, you can handle this._ “I assume you’re Mr. Wayne?”

“Yes,” he said, tilting his head towards a door to the right, “you can follow me.”

Darcy did not, in fact, follow him. Instead, she gasped, clutched her hand to her chest, and stared at him with wide eyes.

Bruce’s eyes were sharply focused as they dropped from her face to her hand.

Wordlessly, she held it out, forcing down a shiver when his fingers wrapped around hers. He tilted her hand to read her palm better, pulling her closer. Meanwhile, Darcy focused on ignoring the heat his body put out, warmth that she could almost swear was reaching out to her.

“Master Bruce,” Alfred said, cautiously excited, “you have - ?”

He held out the hand _not_ holding hers, revealing Darcy’s writing on his palm. “It appeared several hours ago, I’m told it coincided with the appearance of a portal… and Ms. Lewis.”

“Darcy, please,” she said. _I’m not ready to ‘bond’ five minutes after meeting him, but I can kind of see why people do if this_ pull _is the norm,_ she thought. He was incredibly appealing. It was like someone had taken all of her favorite traits and made a man.

“Only if you’ll call me ‘Bruce’… _Darcy,_ ” he said, his voice dropping on her name, as if he was savoring it.

_Well, crap._

**Author's Note:**

> Why yes, Bruce is both attracted to his soulmate and also trying to get a feel for her (feel her out, feeling her up is for later) there at the end. Methinks there will be aggressive flirting and button-pushing in Darcy's future.


End file.
